Multiple press apparatus

ABSTRACT

A compact and versatile apparatus for performing a plurality of press operations on a machine which fabricates parts from continuously fed stock. Compactness is attained on each side of the stock by consolidating a sequence of independent tool driving slides into a common housing structure which is continuously affixable to the machine at any location along the process line. Within each housing structure, versatility is attained by providing interchangeable mounting locations for slides of incrementally varying mounting pitch. Support members are extendable to translate press loads from driving shafts and are interchangeably mountable with the slides.

United States Patent 1191 Karsnak Apr. 9, 1974 MULTIPLE PRESS APPARATUS [75] Inventor: George D. Karsnak Muncie Ind Primary Examiner chafles Lanham Assistant Examiner-Gene P. Crosby [73] Assignee: The US. Baird Corporation, Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Wooster, Davis & Cifelli Stratford, Conn.

[22] Filed: Nov. 27, 1972 [57] ABSTRACT [21] Appl. No.: 309,667 A compact and versatile apparatus for performing a plurality of press operations on a machine which fabricates parts from continuously fed stock. Compactness [52] US. Cl 72/405, 72/447, 72/455, is attained on each side of the Stock by consolidating a 100/264 109/295 sequence of independent tool driving slides into a [5 1 1 llil. Cl B21] 9/02 common housing vStructure which is continuously affix [58] F leld of Search 72/455, 407, 447, 402, able to the machine at any location along the process 72/446 405; 100/295 264 line. Within each housing structure, versatility is attained by providing interchangeable mounting loca- [56] References C'ted tions for slides of incrementally varying mounting UNITED STATES PATENTS pitch. Support members are extendable to translate 1,137,132 4/1915 Gross 72 447 press loads from driving shafts and are interchange- 3,296,851 1/1967 Breuer 72/405 ably mountable with the slides. 3,416,213 12/1968 Cootes 72 402 3,695,088 10/1972 Alvi 72 405 10 Claims, 7 Drawmg Flgures PATENTEDAPR 91974 I 3.802.247

v SHEETZUFB 1 mm "mm -"A.TENTEDAPR 91914 3,802,247

swan 5 [IF 6 v MULTIPLE PRESS APPARATUS BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to an apparatus for performing sequential press operations on continuously fed stock and more particularly to such apparatus for consolidating tool driving slides and shaft support members at interchangeable mounting locations of incrementally varying pitch within a common housing structure. Hitherto, many different types of apparatus have been utilized for performing a sequence of press operations in fabricating complex parts from continuously fed stock. Versatility of such apparatus depends on the ease with which changes can be made in the mounting pitch of the press operations, the sequential order and/or nature thereof, and the number of operations performable.

The most common approach to performing such sequential press operations is to utilize a progressive die which compactly houses the sequence of operations within a master structure that can be adapted to the fabricating machine in one simplified set up procedure. However, a progressive die is quite expensive and characteristically performs a fixed number of operations which are inflexible as to nature and sequence. Therefore, a progressive die can only be justified where high volume production is anticipated.

Other press machines are adapted to provide a plurality of fixed stations at which press operations of vari able nature and sequence can be performed and, therefore, achieve some measure of versatility where low volume production is anticipated. However, each operation on these machines is independently structured and the mounting pitch at each station is unalterably fixed to thereby limit the versatility attainedStill other press machines have been adapted to provide a variable mounting pitch for operations of variable nature and sequence, but these machines utilize independent housing structures for each operation and, therefore, waste mounting space along the process line to needlessly limit the number of operations performed.

Furthermore, in machines utilizing slides to drive the tooling from peripheral shafts and support members to translate the press loads from the shafts, no mounting interchangeability is possible between the slides and the support members. Therefore, only limited distribution of slides and support members is possible along the process line and difficulties arising from drive shaft flexure is unavoidable for many process plans.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is, therefore, a general object of the present invention to provide a press apparatus which minimizes and obviates the disadvantages of the prior art.

It is a specific object of the present invention to provide a press apparatus which consolidates tool driving slides and shaft support members at interchangeable mounting locations of incrementally varying pitch within a common housing structure.

These objects are accomplished in one form according to the present invention by arranging gib bases and support members on a master housing having a plurality of mounting provisions separated at a fixed pitch distance. The mounting pitch for any gib base or support member varies in multiple increments of the pitch distance and mounting provisions compatible to those of the master housing are disposed thereon at each increment of mounting pitch. Each gib base guides a slide and has the mounting pitch necessitated by the tooling which is affixable to standardized holding means on the slide. Each support member extends from the master housing to translate press loads from a drive shaft of the machine and has the mounting pitch necessitated by the load magnitude. The master housing is continuously aligned at any location along the process line of the machine with a tongue, and a groove is disposed thereon to align the gib bases and support members.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The manner in which these and other objects of the invention are achieved will be best understood by refer ence to the following description, the appended claims, and the Figures of the attached drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a fabricating machine incorporating the press apparatus of this invention;

FIG. 2 is a partially assembled perspective view thereof illustrating the manner in which the press apparatus is affixed to the fabricating machine and driven therefrom;

FIG. 3 is a partially exploded perspective view of a gang slide assembly illustrating the detailed construction of the master housing;

FIG. 4 is a partially exploded perspective view of a gang slide assembly illustrating the detailed construction of a horizontal operation;

FIG. 5 is a partially exploded perspective view of a gang slide assembly illustrating the detailed construction of a vertical operation;

FIG. 6 is a sectional view thereof, taken substantially along line 66 of FIG. 2 to illustrate the cooperation existing between pairs of gang slide assemblies across the process line of the fabricating machine; and

FIG. 7 is a view similar to FIG. 6 illustrating operation of a vertical slide from beneath the stock.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Turning now to the drawings, a fabricating machine 10 for performing multiple press and forming operations is illustrated in FIG. 1 where an assemblage of individual attachments are coordinated on a mounting bed 12 to sequentially perform the operations required by a particular process plan. A stock feed attachment 14 is mounted at one end of the bed 12 and feeds stock 16 continuously along a process line A-A. Operating in conjunction with the stock feed attachment 14 is a stock check attachment 18 which locks the stock 16 in a fixed position along the process line A-A while the operations are performed thereon. Attachments for performing the operations are mounted on the bed 12 across the kprocess line A-A and for the sake of simplicity only, are limited to a progressive die 20, the press apparatus 22 of this invention and a conventional slide 24. All attachments are actuated from drive shafts 26 mounted peripherally on the bed 12. The timing sequence between all attachments is accomplished through these shafts 26 which are rotated by any suitable means, such as a variable speed drive and a motor (not shown).

Only the drive shafts 26 and the press apparatus 22 of this invention are shown mounted on the machine 10 in FIG. 2. The shafts 26 are supported around the bed 12 in corner brackets 28 and bevel gears 30 interconnect the shafts 26 at each corner. Each corner bracket 28 is specially configured to support a pair of perpendicularly aligned shafts 26 in a single housing and is affixed to the machine with bolts (not shown). The press apparatus 22 of this invention performs a sequence of press operations on the stock 16 with a pair of complementary gang slide assemblies 32 cooperating across the process line AA. Each gang slide assembly 32 includes a master housing 34 to which a plurality of reciprocable slides are detachably secured. Each slide operates in a direction perpendicular to the process line AA and is retained by a gib base which restricts movement thereof to an axis, at any relative angle to the mounting surface of the bed 12. For purposes of this description, however, only horizontal slides 36 moving in a direction parallel to the mounting surface and vertical slides 38 moving in a direction perpendicular to the mounting surface will be discussed. Actuating means for independently driving the slides from the shafts 26 is connected to each gang slide assembly 32 and responds to cams 40 affixed on the shafts 26. Standardized holding means for securing tooling is included on all slides, but for the sake of clarity no tooling is shown affixed to the slides. When supplemental support is desired for the shafts 26, support members 42 configured to overhang the mounting bed 12 are extended from each master housing 34 for this purpose. Each gib base and support member 42 occupies a mounting pitch on the master housing 34 which adapts to mounting pitches of multiple increments. The gang slide assemblies 32 affix to the machine 10 in T- slots 44 which are disposed on the mounting bed 12 along the full length of the process line AA and parallel thereto.

Construction of the master housing 34 is shown in FIG. 3 where the mounting bed 12 is'relatively disposed for reference purposes. A tongue 46 compatibly configured to engage the T-slots 44 is disposed on the master housing 34 and bolt clearance holes 48 separated at a pitch distance X pass therethrough, along the longitudinal axis of the tongue 46. Mounting means for detachably affixing the master housing 34 to the mounting bed 12 is provided by passing bolts 50 through the clearance holes 48 into nuts 52 disposed within the T-slots -44 at convenient locations. When utilized, the support members 42 are affixed as part of the master housing 34 under the bolts 50 and, if supplemental affixment is desired, bolts 54 are disposed through the support members 42 to engage threaded holes 56 in the master housing 34. A groove 58 is disposed across the master housing 34 for aligning the slides relative to the process line A--A and the support members 42 relative to the shafts 26. In its simplest form, the master housing 34 consists of a mounting plate 60 which is configured'to have the tongue 46 and the groove 58 superposed on opposite sides, along a coincident axis.

Special provisions are included on the overhanging portion of each support member 42 for mating with a bearing cap 62 to enclose the shaft 26. These provisions include an arcuate contour disposed to fit about a bearing 64 located on the shaft 26 and threaded holes (not shown) for securing the cap 62. An identical arcuate contour is disposed on the cap 62 which is secured to the support member 42 with bolts 66 passing therethrough. Each support member 42 is affixable to the master housing 34 at interchangeable mounting locations and occupies a mounting pitch along the longitudinal axis of the tongue 46. The mounting pitch is equal to the thickness of the support member 42 in the direction of the tongue 46 and varies with the magnitude of load translated from the shaft 26. Mounting interchangeability is achieved by varying the mounting pitch incrementally in multiples of the pitch distance X and by disposing a mounting hole 68 through each increment of mounting pitch. For a mounting pitch of multiple increments, the resulting plurality of mounting holes 68 are separated at the pitch distance X. A key 70 compatibly configured to engage the groove 58 is disposed across the mounting pitch and aligns the support member 42 relative to the shaft 26. The bolts 50 pass through the mounting holes 68 and, therefore, the number of bolts 50 utilized to affix the support member 42 to the master housing 34 is equal to the number of increments in the mounting pitch.

Because the tongue 46 is engageable along the full length of the T-slot 44, the master housing 34 can be continuously mounted at any location along the process line AA. The support members 42 function to translate press loads from the shafts 26 to the mounting bed 12 and can be located next to any slide on the master housing 34 due to their mounting interchangeability thereon. Therefore, although support members 42 are shown mounted at each end of the master housing 34 in FIGS. 2 and 3, a single support member 42 could be utilized immediately adjacent the slide which develops the greatest press load.

Each horizontal slide 36 is detachably retained on the master housing 34 in a horizontal gib base 72 and is driven independently from the actuating means, as illustrated in FlG. 4. A slidcway 74 is disposed on the horizontal gib base 72 and guides the motion of the horizontal slide 36 which is compatibly configured to move bidirectionally therein. Containment of the horizontal slide 36 in the slideway 74 is assured by a retaining plate 76 which is secured to the horizontal gib base 72 by any suitable means, such as bolts 78 passing through the horizontal gib base 72 and engaging threaded holes 80 in the retaining plate 76.

The horizontal gib base 72 affixes to the master housing 34 at interchangeable mounting locations and occupies a mounting pitch along the longitudinal axis of the tongue 46. The mounting pitch is equal to the thickness of the horizontal gib base 72 in the direction of the tongue 46 and varies with the nature of the tooling utilized on the horizontal slide 36. Mounting interchangeability is achieved by varying the mounting pitch incrementally in multiples of the pitch distance X and by disposing a threaded hole (not shown) into each increment of mounting pitch. For a mounting pitch of multiple increments, the resulting plurality of threaded holes are separated at the pitch distance X. A key 82 compatibly configured to engage the. groove 58 is disposed across the mounting pitch and aligns the horizontal slide 36 relative to the process line A-A. Bolts 84 pass through the clearance holes 48 into the threaded holes to secure the horizontal gib base 72 on the master housing 34 and the number of bolts 84 utilized is equal to the number of increments in the mounting pitch.

On the horizontal slide 36, the standardized tool holding means is integrally disposed at the forward end and includes such provisions, as a keyed bracket 86 having mounting holes 88. Suitable means for pivotally attaching to one end of a drive link 90 extending from the actuating means, such as a specially configured slot 92, is disposed on the rear end of the horizontal slide 36.

At each horizontal slide 36, the actuating means includes a lever 94 having a cam follower 96 rotatably affixed on one end and a pivot link 98 pivotally affixed on the other end. Between the pivot link 98 and the cam follower 96, the lever 94 is pivotally affixed to the other end of the drive link 90. A pivot point 100 is established for the lever 94 by affixing the pivot link 98 to the horizontal gib base 72 using any suitable means, such as bolts 102 extending through a bearing plate 104 into threaded holes 106 on the horizontal gib base 72.

An adjustment means for varying the relative stroke location of the horizontal slide 36 along an axis perpendicular to the process line AA may be incorporated into the actuating means by keying the pivot link 98 to the horizontal gib base 72 and providing for affixment therebetween at continuously variable locations. This is accomplished by disposing a key 108 and a slot 110 on the pivot link 98 and affixing a threaded rod 112 thereto. The slot 110 is aligned longitudinally with the key 108 and passes therethrough, while the threaded rod 1 12 is disposed along an axis parallel to the coincident axis of the slot 110 and the key 108. On the horizontal gib base 72, a keyway 114 and a bulkhead 116 having a clearance hole 118 therethrough are disposed with the axes of both the keyway 114 and the clearance hole 118 aligned parallel to the longitudinal axis of the slideway 74. The pivot link 98 is affixed to the horizontal gib base 72 with the key 108 engaging the keyway 114 and the threaded rod 112 extending through the clearance hole 118 with nuts 120 disposed thereon to each side of the bulkhead 116.

As illustrated in FIG. 5, each vertical slide 38 is detachably retained on the master housing 34 in a vertical gib base 122 and is driven independently from the actuating means. A gib block 124 is secured to the vertical gib base 122 by any suitable means, such as bolts 126 and a gib key 128 is disposed thereon to guide the motion of the vertical slide 38 which includes a slideway 130 of complementary size to the gib key 128. Containment of the vertical slide 38 about the gib key 128 is assured by a gib cap 132 which is secured to the gib block 124 by any suitable means, such as bolts 134. Of course, other arrangements would be suitable to guide the motion of the vertical slide 38, such as to dispose a slideway in the gib block 124 and compatibly configure the vertical slide 38 to move therethrough.

The vertical gib base 122 affixes to the master housing 34 at interchangeable mounting locations and occupies a mounting pitch along the longitudinal axis of the tongue 46. The mounting pitch is equal to the thickness of the vertical gib base 122 in the direction of the tongue 46 and varies with the nature of the tooling utilized on the vertical slide 38. Mounting interchangeability is achieved by varying the mounting pitch incrementally in multiples of the pitch distance X and by disposing a threaded hole (not shown) into each increment of mounting pitch. For a mounting pitch of multiple increments the resulting plurality of threaded holes are separated at the pitch distance X. A key 136 compatibly configured to engage the groove 58 is disposed across the mounting pitch and aligns the vertical slide 38 relative to the process line AA. Bolts 138 pass through the clearance holes 48 into the threaded holes to secure the vertical gib base 122 on the master housing 34 and the number of bolts 138 utilized is equal to the number of increments in the mounting pitch.

The slideway of the vertical slide 38 is open ended and separates extending legs 140 thereon. Threaded holes 142 are disposed along the longitudinal axes of each leg 140 and comprise the standardized tool holding means of the vertical slide 38. A bearing slot 144 is centrally disposed through the vertical slide 38 on a portion interconnecting the legs 140.

At each vertical slide 38 the actuating means includes a pivot arm 146 having a cam follower 148 rotatably affixed to one end and a finger link 150 rigidly affixed to the other end with bolts 151. Between the cam follower 148 and the finger link 150, the pivot arm 146 is pivotally affixed to the vertical gib base 122 at a pivot point 152 by suitable means, such as a pin 154. The free end of the finger link 150 is configured to engage into the bearing slot 144 of the vertical slide 38 and a roller 156 is rotatably affixed thereto. The pin 154 can be disposed through both the pivot arm 146 and the vertical gib base 122 at an alternate location to establish a second pivot point 152' so that the ratio of the distances can be varied between the pivot point and both the cam follower 148 and the roller 156.

Functionally, the press apparatus of this invention can be constructed to perform press operations on the stock 16 in accordance with many different process plans. This is accomplished by mounting a pair of complementing gang slide assemblies 32 on the mounting bed 12 of themachine 10 to cooperate across the process line AA, as shown in FIG. 2. For any particular process plan, each gang slide assembly 32 is structured to have horizontal slides 36 and/or vertical slides 38 specifically located on the master housing 34 for cooperating with the horizontal slides 36 and/or vertical slides 38 of the other gang slide assembly 32 in performing the required operations. Each horizontal slide 36 can cooperate with either a horizontal slide 36 or a vertical slide 38 or both and, of course, the same is true for each vertical slide 38. Because the process plan relates directly to the nature of the part produced, its variability approaches infinity as to the number of operations combined in a particular sequence. Therefore, the versatility achieved through the continuous affixability of the master housing 34 at any location along the process line AA, together with the incremental mounting pitch of the slides at interchangeable locations on the master housing 34 and the standardized tool holding means on the slides, is of primary significance in that the press apparatus 22 of this invention can be readily adapted to perform a great number of process plans.

After the gang slide assemblies 32 have been structured in accordance with a particular process plan, the tooling is secured to the tool holding means of each slide. This can be done either before or after the gang slide assemblies 32 are mounted in cooperating arrangement on the mounting bed 12. The slides then operate across the process line AA, as shown in FIG. 6, where for the sake of clarity, phantom lines are utilized to represent the tooling on the vertical slide 38 only. No limitations exist as to the nature of the tooling utilized, in that all conventional press and forming operations can be performed.

For each horizontal slide 36, reciprocal movement to drive the tooling is generated from the actuating means by disposing the cam follower 96 within an internal race on one of the earns 40. As the shaft 26 turns the cam 40, the cam follower 96 is displaced to cause a pivotal movement of the lever 94 about the pivot point 100. This pivotal movement is translated to linear movement of the horizontal slide 36 through the drive link 90, due to the guiding restraint provided by the horizontal gib base 72. The stroke through which the horizontal slide 36 moves is proportional to the rise of the cam 40, however, the location of the stroke along the axis of motion can be varied with the adjustment means. This is accomplished simply by loosening the bolts 102 and turning both nuts 120 simultaneously in the same direction to either increase or decrease the effective length of the threaded rod 112. Of course, the rate of horizontal slide travel over the stroke distance can be varied by changing the contours of the cam 40, while its phase relationship with other slides can be shifted by angularly repositioning the cam 40 on the shaft 26.

For each vertical slide 38, reciprocal movement to drive the tooling is generated from the actuating means by disposing the cam follower 148 within an internal race on one of the cams 40. As the shaft 26 turns the cam 40, the cam follower 148 is displaced to cause a pivotal movement of the pivot arm 146 about the pivot point 152. This pivotal movement is translated to linear movement of the vertical slide 38 through the finger link 150, due to the guiding restraint provided by the vertical gib base 122. The stroke through which the vertical slide 38 moves is proportional to the rise of the cam 40 but can be varied along with the mechanical advantage, by utilizing the alternate pivot point 152' location. Of course, the rate of vertical slide travel over the stroke can be varied by changing the contours of the cam 40, while its phase relationship with other slides can be shifted by angularly repositioning the cam 40 on the shaft 26. As illustrated in FIG. 7, the vertical slide 38 can be configured to drive tooling from beneath the stock 16. Therefore, it is possible to coopera tiv ely arrange a pair of vertical slides 38 across the stock 16 in similar fashion to the horizontal slides 36 of FIG. 6.

it should be readily appreciated by those skilled in this art that the press apparatus of this invention may be employed with great versatility to perform a plurality of operations on stock fed continuously along the process line of a fabricating machine. All of the operations are consolidated within a master housing to conserve mounting space on the machine, but the number,

nature, and sequence of the operations are variable, as well as the mounting pitch therebetween. Furthermore, the master housing may be adapted to translate press loads from the drive shafts and thereby preclude flexure therein.

It should be understood that the present disclosure has been made only by way of example and that numerous changes in details of construction and the combination or arrangement of parts may be resorted to without departing from the true spirit and the scope of this invention and, therefore, the present disclosure should be construed as illustrative rather than limiting.

What I claim is:

l. A gang slide assembly for operating in complementary pairs to perform a plurality of press operations across a process line on a machine which fabricates parts from continuous stock moving along the process line, said gang slide assembly comprising:

a master housing including mounting means for securing to the machine; a plurality of reciprocable slides detachably retained on said master housing, each said slide being operable in a direction perpendicular to the process line and having standardized holding means for securing tooling; and

actuating means for independently driving each said slide from the machine, said gang slide assembly being mountable on the machine to one side of the process line and being operable thereacross compatibly with a second gang slide assembly.

2. The gang slide assembly of claim 1 wherein said master housing includes support members, each said support member being extendable to a drive shaft for translating press loads therefrom to the machine.

3. The gang slide assembly of claim 1 wherein said master housing includes a groove and each said slide is retained in a gib base having a key, said keys being compatibly configured to engage said groove in aligning said slides relative to the process line.

4. The gang slide assembly of claim 3 wherein support members extend from said master housing to translate press loads from a drive shaft to the machine, each said support member having a key, said keys on said support members being compatibly configured to engage said groove in aligning said support members relative to the shaft.

5. The gang slide assembly of claim 1 wherein said master housing includes a tongue and bolt clearance holes separated at a pitch distance along the longitudinal axis of said tongue, said bolt clearance holes being available as interchangeable mounting locations for said slides and said mounting means, said tongue being compatibly configured to engage a T-slot on the machine in locating saidgang slide assembly continuously along the process line. Y

6. The gang slide assembly of claim 5 wherein said slides are retained in gib bases, each said gib base having a mounting pitch along the longitudinal axis of said tongue, said mounting pitches being variable incrementaliy in multiples of saidpitch distance, each said gib base having a threaded hole into each increment of mounting pitch, said gib bases being retained to said master housing with bolts passing through said clearance holes into said threaded holes.

7. The gang slide assembly of claim 6 wherein support members extend from said master housing to translate press loads from a drive shaft to the machine,

, each said support member having a mounting pitch along the longitudinal axis of said tongue, said mounting pitches of said support members being variable incrementally in multiples of said pitch distance, each said support member having a mounting hole through each increment of mounting pitch, said bolt clearance holes being available as interchangeable mounting locations for said support members with said support members being retained to said master housing by bolts passing through said mounting holes and said clearance holes.

8. The gang slide assembly of claim 1 wherein said master housing includes a tongue, a groove and'bolt clearance holes separated at a pitch distance along the longitudinal axis of said tongue, said bolt clearance holes being available as interchangeable mounting locations for said slides and said mounting means, said tongue being compatibly configured to engage a T-slot on the machine in locating said gang slide assembly continuously along the process line; and each said slide is retained in a gib base, each said gib base having a key and a mounting pitch along the longitudinal axis of said tongue, said keys being compatibly configured to engage said groove in aligning said slides relative to the process line and said mounting pitches being variable incrementally in multiples of said pitch distance, each said gib base having a threaded hole into each increment of mounting pitch, said gib bases being retained to said master housing with bolts passing through said clearance holes into said threaded holes.

9. The gang slide assembly of claim 8 wherein support members extend from said master housing to translate press loads from a drive shaft to the machine, each said support member having a key and a mounting pitch along the longitudinal axis of said tongue, said 10. The gang slide assembly of claim 8 wherein a mounting plate comprises said master housing, said mounting plate having said tongue and said groove superposed on opposite sides along a coincident axis. 

1. A gang slide assembly for operating in complementary pairs to perform a plurality of press operations across a process line on a machine which fabricates parts from continuous stock moving along the process line, said gang slide assembly comprising: a master housing including mounting means for securing to the machine; a plurality of reciprocable slides detachably retained on said master housing, each said slide being operable in a direction perpendicular to the process line and having standardized holding means for securing tooling; and actuating means for independently driving each said slide from the machine, said gang slide assembly being mountable on the machine to one side of the process line and being operable thereacross compatibly with a second gang slide assembly.
 2. The gang slide assembly of claim 1 wherein said master housing includes support members, each said support member being extendable to a drive shaft for translating press loads therefrom to the machine.
 3. The gang slide assembly of claim 1 wherein said master housing includes a groove and each said slide is retained in a gib base having a key, said keys being compatibly configured to engage said groove in aligning said slides relative to the process line.
 4. The gang slide assembly of claim 3 wherein support members extend from said master housing to translate press loads from a drive shaft to the machine, each said support member having a key, said keys on said support members being compatibly configured to engage said groove in aligning said support members relative to the shaft.
 5. The gang slide assembly of claim 1 wherein said master housing includes a tongue and bolt clearance holes separated at a pitch distance along the longitudinal axis of said tongue, said bolt clearance holes being available as interchangeable mounting locations for said slides and said mounting means, said tongue being compatibly configured to engage a T-slot on the machine in locating said gang slide assembly continuously along the process line.
 6. The gang slide assembly of claim 5 wherein said slides are retained in gib bases, each said gib base having a mounting pitch along the longitudinal axis of said tongue, said mounting pitches being variable incrementally in multiples of said pitch distance, each said gib base having a threaded hole into each increment of mounting pitch, said gib bases being retained to said master housing with bolts passing through said clearance holes into said threaded holes.
 7. The gang slide assembly of claim 6 wherein support members extend from said master housing to translate press loads from a drive shaft to the machine, each said support member having a mounting pitch along the longitudinal axis of said tongue, said mounting pitches of said support members being variable incrementally in multiples of saiD pitch distance, each said support member having a mounting hole through each increment of mounting pitch, said bolt clearance holes being available as interchangeable mounting locations for said support members with said support members being retained to said master housing by bolts passing through said mounting holes and said clearance holes.
 8. The gang slide assembly of claim 1 wherein said master housing includes a tongue, a groove and bolt clearance holes separated at a pitch distance along the longitudinal axis of said tongue, said bolt clearance holes being available as interchangeable mounting locations for said slides and said mounting means, said tongue being compatibly configured to engage a T-slot on the machine in locating said gang slide assembly continuously along the process line; and each said slide is retained in a gib base, each said gib base having a key and a mounting pitch along the longitudinal axis of said tongue, said keys being compatibly configured to engage said groove in aligning said slides relative to the process line and said mounting pitches being variable incrementally in multiples of said pitch distance, each said gib base having a threaded hole into each increment of mounting pitch, said gib bases being retained to said master housing with bolts passing through said clearance holes into said threaded holes.
 9. The gang slide assembly of claim 8 wherein support members extend from said master housing to translate press loads from a drive shaft to the machine, each said support member having a key and a mounting pitch along the longitudinal axis of said tongue, said keys on said support members being compatibly configured to engage said groove in aligning said support members relative to the shaft and said mounting pitches of said support members being variable incrementally in multiples of said pitch distance, each said support member having a mounting hole through each increment of mounting pitch, said clearance holes being available as interchangeable mounting locations for said support members with said support members being retained to said master housing by bolts passing through said mounting holes and said clearance holes.
 10. The gang slide assembly of claim 8 wherein a mounting plate comprises said master housing, said mounting plate having said tongue and said groove superposed on opposite sides along a coincident axis. 